Monday, June 16, 2014

Chicago Urban Sketchers Trip Photos

Last week Christina, Carla, Nora, and I attended an Urban Sketchers Seminar in Chicago. I grew up in Ohio and for some reason I have never visited Chicago. I was totally blown away by the architecture. We stayed at the Chicago Hilton and as you can see from the photo below it was awesome! This was the entry lobby - I think the picture says it all. The Hilton also had a super-hip remodeled section with luxurious cozy chairs and cubbies where we ate dessert one night. We stayed on the twentieth floor and had a partial view of the lake. I highly recommend this hotel.

Above is a photo of the famous Chicago "bean" in Millennium Park. It is by Anish Kapoor and is actally called "Cloud Gate" but everyone calls it "the bean." It is super fun to walk under it and see how the city is reflected.

As I mentioned before I was blown away by all the details. One could spend a lifetime photographing Chicago architectural elements.

I especially loved the iron details on the subway entries. They were different at every station.

The staircase below is from the Palmer House and the dome below that is from the Cultural Arts Center.

Click the above photo to read it better. Our hotel was on Michigan Ave.

As we were walking back from the lake one morning we passed this giant sperm whale sculpture by Preston Jackson. I like the use of recycled materials.

Below is a photo of the fountain at Grant Park. The "sea horses" spouting water were really fantastic.

I have never been so impressed by a city before and I feel like we only scratched the surface. Another trip is definitely in order. Check back soon because I am going to post my sketches from the workshops next.